Thursday, June 09, 2005

Gaining Merit

As we approach the holy holiday of Shavuos, the time of the giving of the Torah, lets remember the words of the Divrei Chaim, zt"l:

"Torah should be studied lishmah (for it's own sake), who knows if we have merited this? Avoda (divine service, prayer) requires kavana (focused concentration), who knows if we have merited this?

The only thing with which we have to come to Yom HaDin (the day of judgement) is the merit of tzedakah (charity)."

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Hashem Yazo! (G-d Help Us!) Not only is the government of Israel rushing head first down the path of the abyss, it's drawing resources from those least able to absorb it. It has not raised taxes to cover the wild expenses it's running up, it's cut programs to the poor!

This has left the most vulnerable in Israel in terrible shape, with nothing left to fall back on. Real poverty, hunger and malnutrition are becoming rampant. Your help is needed now more than ever.

Please fulfill this wonderful mitzva by helping the needy in Israel. I recommend this very worthy organization (which runs with the lowest expense overhead of any I know), with some other worthy alternatives listed at the bottom:

Yad Eliezer is currently the largest anti-hunger agency in Israel. And each day it struggles to fulfill the many requests for assistance that it receives. As Yad Eliezer’s executive director, Dov Weisel describes it, “Each month is it’s own miracle.”

Exposure to the plight of the poor opens one to the almost insurmountable problems they face. Poverty is a lot more than a lack of funds to cover the budget. It is only a symptom of a whole host of layers upon layers of problems which can be called “the cycle of poverty”. By visiting the homes of those with not enough to feed their children, we find serious cases of undernourishment among children (especially babies). Children who resist going to school because they fear being laughed at by their peers because of the clothing they wear, and children who fall far behind in their studies as a result of a home environment that does not allow them to study.

While Yad Eliezer cannot address every single aspect of this circle of poverty, we do extend ourselves wherever possible. Yad Eliezer offers sufficient food to prepare basic meals. We have addressed the issue of undernourished babies by distributing bay formula to mothers who cannot nurse and who have resorted to diluting the little formula they have to dangerously low levels. Yad Eliezer has an extensive program whereby vast quantities of perfectly good used shoes and clothing is distributed to children so their parents can clothe them with dignity. Our latest program is dealing with the social and educational needs of young boys who have no father figure in the home.